Tenere 700: ECU Flash Tune by 2 Wheel DynoWorks
ECU Flash Tune by 2 Wheel DynoWorks
The recent addition of a Black Widow decat header & removal of the oem air box snorkel has prompted an ECU flash tune to my 2021 Tenere 700 to be performed by 2 Wheel DynoWorks. Last years mail-in ECU flash Black Friday sale ($225 US or $310 CDN) was for the entire month of Nov & can be done via mail, drop off or ride in at their Kirkland shop just east of Seattle Wa, USA...note that they will refund the $50 US shipping charge invoiced at purchase if you opt to bring the ECU to their shop, ratcheting up the cost to benefit ratio substantially. Kudo's to them for having no time limit on when to have it flashed after purchase, so was be able to ride down this spring.
If seeking the most refined fueling & power delivery, cooler running & healthier motor an ECU flash tuned for your particular set-up provides the greatest benefit, whereby on the Tenere 700 the majority of the improvement will be in the low/mid range (~ +4 hp & +4 ft-lb torque), flattening out the dip in power from 5,300 to 6,300 rpm with ~ +5 hp & +5 ft-lb torque at 5,800 rpm, at part-throttle & at WOT with as much as +10 rwhp from 8,800 rpm to the 10,300 rpm rev limiter. An alternative is 'piggyback' plug-n-play fuel controllers, but are limited in capability compared to flashes + may cost more & the most basic dongles that substitute oem sensor signals with ones that trick the ECU into thinking the ambient temperature/pressure is lower than actual resulting in richer fuel mixtures. A tech article explaining the differences between an ECU flash & 'piggyback' controllers can be viewed here. The T7 does not have throttle restrictions like many throttle by wire bikes.
Changes in just air filter & muffler do not require a flash as they usually do not alter fueling beyond the parameters of the oem ECU programming, however, a flash is recommended for correcting fuel & ignition mapping issues related to OEM EPA tuning and particularly with removal of the airbox snorkel, catalytic converter or significant alterations to the intake system & motor internals.
All 2 Wheel DynoWorks ECU mapping is built for 91-93 (R+M)/2 octane premium pump gas (E10) & adjusts fuel, ignition & throttle by wire maps (including IAP vs RPM and TPS v RPM tables), deceleration cut-off & back pressure, lower radiator fan on/off temperature settings & a few other parameters depending on the bike. Not all flash tunes or tuners are the same, despite many using the same software, so do your due diligence...see this link for a very comprehensive video on this topic...they have also posted lots of good info in the Vendor section on the Yamaha Tenere 700 Forum here.
Ride to 2 Wheel DynoWorks for ECU Flash May 09, 2024
I rode down to their Kirkland, WA, location from the Vancouver, BC area arriving 30 min before they open at 10 am & was soon greeted by Patrick, whom I remember from the 2015 dyno tuning of my 2014 Yamaha Super Tenere 1200 ES with Nels. Accessing & removing the ECU from behind the left rear body panel required removal of my left Dirt Racks HD Soft Luggage Rack, DIY left calf peg & the left side panel + removal of the under seat & left side rear body panel bolts, which provide enough free play in the panel to slide the ECU rubber mount off the frame tabs & drop the ECU below the panel to easily undo the locking pin connector. The flash itself only takes a few minutes...they have logged thousands of CP2 dyno runs since the 2014 release of Yamaha's 1st CP2 powered motorcycle for almost every oem & aftermarket intake & exhaust combination available & matched a flash to my MWR Filtercage & Outercover, Guglatech Ultra 4 air filter, Black Widow decat header & MIVV Dakar high mount exhaust & my bike's ECU (Yamaha has 2 ECU part numbers for each North American model year Tenere 700). Nate, who is their primary spokesperson & point of contact for most customer communications, arrived about mid-flash & was unprepared for his 205.7 cm or 6' 9" presence & shortly after disappeared into the dyno room.
The Tenere 700 flash requires disconnecting the oem O2 sensor, which I had previously done (see the ECU Flashing FAQ page link at the end of this post for details). Anytime the ECU is powered up outside the bike &/or the O2 sensor is disconnected it will generate fault codes & trigger the dash check engine light...their flash deactivates the code generated by disconnection of the O2 sensor & Patrick offered to clear the codes for me, but I brought my own OBDll reader & cable & did it myself....no fault codes have been generated since the flash & the check engine light remains off.
Ride Review May 09, 2024
Just as promoted, 2 Wheel DynoWorks Tenere 700 ECU flashes produce refinement in fueling & throttle response, along with improved performance & a healthier running motor. Fueling is now smoother, particularly during on/off throttle & from idle to ~5,300 rpm (~EPA test range), with linear power right to redline while feeling moderately stronger at all rpm with a slightly less raspy exhaust tone & no popping during run on & down shifting. Bike water temp during steady hwy speed is now slightly cooler (not sure how much of that is the result of the decat header &/or the ECU flash) & the fan now comes on & shuts off 10 degrees cooler than oem settings.
For a dyno graph & overview of the results of each stage of their mail-in ECU flash tunes for the Tenere 700 see the info below from their website...run 13 would be closest to my setup. I found the information helpful in determining which intake & exhaust mods I wanted to make.
Yamaha's CP2 motor has a reputation for controllable linear & torque rich power across most of the rpm range, but the flash, in combination with the intake & exhaust changes, elevate the motor's character, refinement, tractability, output & interface experience even further. With ~ 67 hp & 47 ft-lb torque at the rear wheel after the ECU flash & intake/exhaust changes it will not overwhelm with brute acceleration, but the quality of the delivery is enviable & notably improved from the oem tuning/configuration. There appears to be no peaks or valleys or stumbles anywhere...chugging along smoothly & effortlessly without protest off idle & at low rpms regardless of gear, with precise & responsive part throttle, stronger mid-range & pulling redline with authority. The utterly smooth & linear power delivery deceptively masks some of the performance/refinement gains, but are omni present ranging from subtle to moderate to quite noticeable depending on the proclivity for a heavy handed throttle.
Ridden with more pace the ECU flashed CP2 motor in combination with the intake & exhaust changes becomes a more entertaining tool with strong & linear midrange that punches through corners, squirts into gaps, pulls strong up hills & to redline with more urgency than in oem trim increasing the fun quotient factor...all the while remaining completely predictable & controllable allowing for use of every bit of the power band. A case could now be made for a quick shifter on the T7 & can see why the ~ 27 kg or 60 lb lighter MT-07 is popular at the track. The amount of engine braking & gradual deceleration fuel shutoff is now spot on imho infusing a more fluid throttle response & helping to maintain the bike's attitude front to rear while transitioning on & off throttle. See this video where Nate explains the nuances of properly correcting fueling for engine braking & gradual deceleration fuel shutoff. The final result is a pleasing transformation, that just like a properly set up suspension/upgrade, is appreciated every single ride!
Final Thoughts
Based on my personal experiences & the extensive dyno tuning expertise/experience that they have I would definitely recommend 2 Wheel DynoWorks & the intake/exhaust tweaks to my bike if you are interested in enjoying the full capability of this peach of a motor. So much of every tweak & kit we do to our bikes is personal, must balance a differing sliding scale of cost vs benefit, expectation vs reality, pro vs con for each of us, particularly with bikes like the T7 that perform well enough in oem tune, performance gains may be limited, equally about refinement & more subtle than dramatic results depending on choices. Is a flash &/or changes to intake & exhaust worth it? In terms of refinement & performance it was for me, but may not be for others, particularly when factoring in the increased cost of premium fuel, potential availability issues depending on location & decrease in mileage, which can be significant.
Post-flash Fuel Consumption
There are too many variables to draw immediate or accurate conclusions regarding changes in post-flash fuel consumption such as:
- differing ethanol content, additive packs & octane rating between Canadian & US premium unleaded fuel;
- my more aggressive use of throttle & higher than normal rpm to explore the new found benefits & performance of the flash;
- 5-10 kph higher average hwy speeds used during the post-flash return trip on US fuel.
I will follow up on this when I have enough reliable data to compare to pre-flash fuel mileage.
Post-flash Fuel Consumption Update July 04, 2024
I now have a total of 6 tanks premium unleaded fuel (2 US/4 CDN) to gauge differences in pre vs post-flash consumption. The higher ethanol content of US (10% to 15%) vs Canadian fuel (max 10%) impacts mileage negatively, so compared only Canadian pre & post-flash mileage while riding the bike in a similar manner & type of riding as I did pre-flash...with post-flash consumption increasing by about 15% or 2.9 km/l or 6.8 US mpg or 8.2 UK mpg, which equates to a 47 km/tank or 29 miles/tank decrease for a total range of 304 km or 189 miles...the more aggressive the riding the greater the increase in consumption & reduction in range by as much as 60 km/tank or 37 miles.
The onboard instant mileage display now gets as low as 8-9 km/l with aggressive use, predominantly between 12 & 18 km/l & into the low/mid 20s with steady low load rpm, but quickly drops with demand/load...whereby pre-flash in oem trim it seldom got as low as 12km/l, mostly in the 16 - 22 km/l range & into the mid to high 20s with steady low load rpm. The CP2 motor fuels efficiently under ~5,000 rpm, becoming thirstier above that. Note that I have 16/46 or 2.875 gearing, 6.3% higher than the oem 15/46 or 3.067.
The take away is that optimized fueling for freer flowing intake & exhaust & increases in power require significantly more fuel than in oem configuration & tune. As per Nate, a 10-15% loss in fuel economy is completely normal due to the increased fuel volume to match the additional airflow through the engine, as well as the disabling of the deceleration fuel cut & closed loop O2 sensor operation + that fueling is quite different from the stock header design compared to any aftermarket header. Bikes retaining the oem header &/or air box snorkel would not require as much correction for fueling so should see less decrease in consumption. Based on their dyno results removing the oem snorkel vs aftermarket air box lids produce similar air flow & velocity, so likely not a lot of difference in fueling.
Average pre-flash fuel consumption for 20 tanks CDN regular unleaded fuel
- 21.9 km/l or 61.8 UK mpg or 51.5 US mpg
- equates to a range of 351 km or 218 miles.
Average post-flash fuel consumption for 2 tanks US premium
- 18.1 km/l or 51.1 UK mpg or 42.5 US mpg
- a decrease of 17% or 3.8 km/L or 10.7 UK mpg or 8.9 US mpg vs the avg of 20 tanks pre-flash
- equates to a range of 289 km or 180 miles or decrease of 62 km/tank or 38 miles/tank.
Average post-flash fuel consumption for 4 tanks CND premium
- 19.0 km/l or 53.7 UK mpg or 44.7 US mpg
- a decrease of 13% or 2.9 km/l or 8.2 UK mpg or 6.8 US mpg vs the avg of 20 tanks pre-flash
- equates to a range of 304 km or 189 miles or decrease of 47 km/tank or 29 miles/tank
Note: The MIVV Dakar exhaust w/db killer & de-snorkel oem air box lid with FunnelWebFilters pre-filter & Guglatech Ultra 4 main filter was installed during all 20 pre-flash tanks & the Black Widow decat header & MWR Filtercage & Outercover were installed a few weeks prior to riding down for the ecu flash.
Reinstall OEM Header July 05, 2024
After 2,300 km or 1,429 miles riding with the Black Widow decat header I have decided to reinstall the oem header because it is a little too loud & raw for me & fuel consumption increased dramatically after the ecu flash. 2 Wheel DynoWorks has free flash upgrades (excluding shipping) for as long as you own the bike so will ride down again for the re-flash. Mileage improved by ~ 5% or 1 km/l or 16 km/tank (2.8 UK mpg or 2.3 US mpg or 10 miles/tank) with the oem header reinstalled for the 1st full tank of fuel, with the on-board instant display showing higher numbers on average than before & more frequently getting into the mid to high 20 km/l or mid to high 60 UK mpg or 50 US mpg range...note that the temp was higher than normal today with a high of 34* C or 93* F, so less dense air requiring less fuel...see Note below.
Low-mid rpm torque remains strong, perhaps even a little better down low but with slightly less urgent acceleration, particularly above peak hp at 8,800 rpm. When removing the Black Widow header I noticed a slight blackening of about 1/3 of one of the Black Widow header gasket which is slightly thicker the oem gasket, so perhaps it had not seated fully resulting in that exhaust port not being air tight...which may have contributed to a decline in cylinder efficiency & a very slight increase in coarseness of the motor noticed after installing it (the CP2 motor is normally so smooth that any change is noticeable), which now does not seem to be there...I had sluffed it off as resulting from an aging oem chain with 19,000 km or 11,800 miles.
Re-flash Fuel Consumption with OEM Header July 10 & 17, 2024
Note: Fuel consumption improved noticeably for the 1st post-flash tank of US Chevron Premium fuel w/oem header reinstalled & re-flash, but comes with the following notations:
Temps were in the high 20s to low 30s Celsius high 70s to mid 80s Fahrenheit riding Hwy 9 to the border in a relaxed manner with a side trip up Mt Baker & the only freeway & sustained elevated speeds on the Canadian side of the border. The morning ride down between 6:30 & 9:30 am had cooler temps in the mid teens Celsius or high 50s Fahrenheit & all freeway at 115 to 120 kph or 71 to 75 mph netted 19.2 km/L or 54.2 UK mpg or 45.1 US mpg.
The instant fuel display still drops to numbers much lower than with the oem configuration & tune upon load & elevated hwy speeds, similar to with the decat header installed w/matching flash, but now quickly & regularly increases into the low to high 20s km/l & even into the 30s maxing out at 40 km/l under light or no load...which is more characteristic of the bike in oem trim.
- 23.6 km/l or 66.6 UK mpg or 55.5 US mpg...a dramatic increase & likely not representative of typical mileage going forward
- an increase of 1.7 km/l or 4.8 UK mpg or 4.0 US mpg vs the avg of 20 tanks pre-flash noted above
- equates to a range of 377 km total range...354.4 km or 220 miles of which 58.8 km or 36.5 miles was on reserve with 1.5 litres remaining
My next tank of Canadian Shell premium 91 netted:
- 19.6 km/l or 55.4 UK mpg or 46.1 US mpg during cooler temps with more sustained freeway riding
The post flash vs pre-flash fuel consumption trend, regardless of decat or oem header, is increased consumption at hwy speeds above 90 kph or 56 mph & aggressive throttle use, BUT with higher mileage more commensurate with the oem configuration/tune during in town riding & non hwy speeds...somewhat of a reversal vs the oem tune & configuration, whereby moderate hwy sustained speed generated higher mileage than in town riding...in part, likely a byproduct of disconnection of the O2 sensor closed loop function.
Updated Final Thoughts
Run 9 on the dyno graph would now be closest to my setup losing only 0.5 hp at max power to the decat header/flash, but does give up a little in throttle response & acceleration through most of the rpm range...all while still being noticeably stronger across the board vs the oem configuration & with what may be slightly better low rpm torque vs the decat header/flash...so still significant improvements to justify the expense & improvement on the riding experience & fun quotients.
My take away is that a decat header's superior flow vs the oem requires significantly MORE fuel producing discernably quicker throttle response/acceleration with the largest gain in power >8,800 rpm (as much as +10 hp over the oem header with the 2 Wheel DynoWorks flash at redline). The thicker wall tubing of the oem header + catalytic converter mitigate motor noise into a more refined & pleasing sound relegating the muffler as the component with the most impact on exhaust tone & volume output...interestingly, the open design of the MWR Filtercage air box lid did not add much intake noise, if any.
IMHO, while the decat header produces notable & maximum performance output elevating the Tenere 700 riding experience well beyond it's oem capabilities, the significant increase in fuel consumption & corresponding decrease in range + increased exhaust noise level is a substantive cross to bear of which, for the average rider, may not be justifiable & wasn't for me.
The improved level of performance, refinement & throttle response in it's current configuration & tune is still notable & elevates the riding experience, satisfaction & fun factor with the ancillary benefit of being a healthier running motor (aside from the higher heat generated by the cat) in combination with consumption being somewhat similar to the oem tune when ridden conservatively for most riding except aggressive use & at highway speeds it is worth the expense of the flash & premium fuel. I have adapted to the decreased range of about 290 to 330 km or 180 to 205 miles depending on type of riding without much compromise in travel plans & fuel availability + have a Giant Loop 2 US gal or 7 litre Armadillo Fuel Bladder when needed.
Mileage Update Aug & Oct 2024
- I averaged 18.4 km/l or 52.0 UK mpg or 43.3 US mpg during an 8 day 4,350 km trip in Aug through southern BC & Alberta, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Oregon & Washington; &
- 18.9 km/l or 53.4 UK mpg or 44.5 US mpg during a 6 six day 2,507 km trip in Oct encompassing southern Vancouver Island, southern Cariboo, north & central Okanagan, the Kootenays & Hwy 3 home to Burnaby which equates to an ~ 15% or 3 km/l or 8.5 UK mpg or 7.1 US mpg decrease in mileage pre-flash vs the final post-flash.
Performance Related Maintenance
Yamaha recommends replacement of spark plugs every 13,000 km / 8,000 miles or 12 months & checking throttle body synchronization every 6,000 km / 4,000 miles or 6 months. I recently replaced the oem NGK LMAR 8A-9 (#4313) plugs with NGK LMAR8BI-9 (#91909) Laser Iridium plugs (see blog post here), annually check my throttle body sync (see blog post here), maintain properly adjusted chain slack & maintain slightly less throttle cable slack than Yamaha specifies.
From 2 Wheel DynoWorks Website for Mail-in ECU Flash for the Tenere 700
This product is intended for closed-course competition use only. Use of this product for any other purpose is strictly prohibited. By purchasing this product, you acknowledge that the product and/or service being purchased is for racing only and this vehicle will never be used on public roads or land. Such use is prohibited by Federal and State regulations.
ECU flashing is not only MORE COST EFFECTIVE than any other tuning solution, it is far SUPERIOR to any other tuning solution because it also allows for more precise tuning of fuel and ignition timing maps which automatically compensate for changing atmospheric conditions. It also allows for the modification of parameters that are not otherwise adjustable through other tuning solutions, such as electronic throttle mapping.
Our Mail-In ECU Flashing Service also comes with FREE future mapping updates for as long as you own the motorcycle. The only cost you are responsible for is the shipping of your ECU.
Custom Flashing Service:
- Custom IAP Fuel Maps (Intake/Exhaust Specific)
- Custom TPS Fuel Maps (Intake/Exhaust Specific)
- Custom Fuel Bias Maps
- Custom Ignition Timing Maps
- Adjusted RPM Limiter
- Adjusted Cooling Fan Temperature Parameters
- Disable Stock O2 Sensor Fault Code
- Disable Deceleration Fuel Cut
NOTE: You MUST unplug your O2 sensor for our custom mapping to function properly.
NOTE: A check engine light will be present after the ECU is powered up outside of the bike for flashing. This should clear itself after 2 ride cycles but may need to be cleared manually. The check engine light during this time will not affect the rideability of the bike in any way.
DYNO GRAPH BREAKDOWN:
Run 1 is BONE STOCK. Stock mapping, stock intake WITH the snorkel, stock headers, and the stock muffler with the spark arrestor out to allow for us to get an accurate AFR signal with our sniffer down the pipe. 64.4hp/44.5tq PEAK output at the wheel.
Run 35, almost all of the bike is STILL STOCK. The only things we did here were the removal of the snorkel, because no matter what it truly needs to go. I know a lot of guys are worried about water intrusion, and it honestly is NOT as big of a deal as people are making it out to be. We, and our customers, have performed this modification on THOUSANDS (no exaggeration) of FZ/MT-07, XSR700, R7 and Tenere 700 models without a single issue, ever. For those of you worried about water crossings, the stock snorkel only adds about 2 inches of extra height to the intake inlet, so if you're going to be submerging the bike THAT deeply across a body of water on a trail, we HIGHLY recommend removing the stock intake lid and filter and replacing it with a foam filter that allows for a water sock. There is ZERO difference in performance between the snorkel delete and stock intake and all of the foam filter/intake lid designs that we've seen on the dyno. All that matter is that 90 degree bend and rubber protruding into the airbox is no longer there. 65.9hp/46.6tq PEAK output at the wheel with BIG 4hp/4tq increases at the bottom end AND 4hp/2tq at the very top end. Obviously, as with all of our ECU flashing, the throttle response becomes MASSIVELY smoother and stronger throughout the entire RPM/throttle range, but this isn't possible to display on a WOT dyno graph.
Run 9, add virtually any muffler to the stock headers with a snorkel delete and you'll only see very modest gains. With our custom mapping, you'll see about a 1hp/0.5tq improvement throughout the entire RPM range and a 1.5hp increase at the VERY top end. The muffler on these bikes truly isn't a big restriction, which we were surprised to see with all of the chambers and baffling in the stock muffler. We have tested quite a few aftermarket mufflers now, and they all truly perform more or less identically to each other. There's some changes to the necessary fuel mapping for each one, but the final output is essentially unchanged. 67.1hp/47.0 PEAK output at the wheel.
Run 13, add headers to any quality high muffler with a snorkel delete and our custom mapping! BELOW 9k RPMs, there's very small gains (less than 1hp), but ABOVE 9K RPMs the power curve is maintained MUCH better to the limiter. You also save 12-14lbs, depending on which aftermarket headers you're using. We've tested a few of them, and once again there is virtually no difference in output between the aftermarket headers. 67.7hp/47.1 PEAK output at the wheel with an extra 4hp ABOVE 9k RPMs all the way to the limiter when compared to the stock headers. From bone stock to a full exhaust system, snorkel delete and our custom mapping, there is a massive 10whp improvement at the limiter (10,250 RPMs).
Again, all of this is ONLY showing WOT performance at the wheel. Much of the results that your butt dyno will feel are even more significant than this displays, as the fuel and ignition mapping changes at WOT are actually much less dramatic than the low/mid range and part-throttle changes that we make to all of our custom mapping!
2 Wheel DynoWorks Electronic Mapping Tech Article & ECU Flash FAQ Pages
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